


My Name Is Ren

by idrilhadhafang



Series: Tickets To My Downfall [2]
Category: Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren (Comics)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Inspired by Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren (Comics), Past Child Abuse, Pre-Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, injury description, villain backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:20:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28081554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: Before Ren was Kylo’s predecessor, he was an orphan boy on Corellia turned Jedi, and all that entailed.
Series: Tickets To My Downfall [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057094
Kudos: 1
Collections: Bad Day Collection





	My Name Is Ren

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

I am called Ren, but that’s not my name. 

I guess with all things, it starts with a story. Once upon a time, there was a boy. Does the name really matter?

I guess I’ll tell you then. My name, before I was called Ren, was Gabriel Soule. I was an orphan on Corellia, before the Empire rose. The Republic sucked, but it wasn’t like the Empire did any better. All this, all of it, it was before Qui-Gon Jinn got impaled by Maul, before the Trade Federation got delusions of grandeur. 

Oh yeah. I’m an old man. Probably too old. I’ve survived enough that the galaxy’s thrown at me including an explosion that cooked most my skin off — but I’ll get there when I get there.

But I was a kid. Was like Han Solo, in a way, or Qi’ra somebody — I was just nobody. I was nothing. Proxima sure drove that in, when I was stealing for her. I don’t know who needed the other more — not that Proxima had anything like actual affection for me. It was one of those things that drove my recruiting the Knights. Vicrul, Ushar...all of them were better off than the hell they were living in. 

And with Vicrul, Ushar, Trudgen, Cardo...all of them, I don’t know, in the beginning, who needed the other more. But I’ll get there. Really.

Proxima was evil. No other way to put it. She didn’t hit, not when she could get her hired cronies to do it for her. It was the first experience I had of enduring pain — bruises and broken bones that took a while to heal. Proxima treated me, but I think it was just so little Gabe could go on and steal more stuff. And she treated me well enough just so I wouldn’t lose any limbs. 

Kids aren’t born hating people. You beat the pup enough, though, it gets angry. Confused at first, but then it gets mad, and ready to kill. I know I didn’t know who I wanted dead more when I was a kid: Proxima or myself. Either way, at least she’d stop. 

***

I was seven when Ekari entered the picture. I remember I was hiding from the Corellian hounds, stealing for Proxima, when I bumped into her. I tried lying, but of course, seven year olds don’t make good liars.

Even as Ekari knelt in front of the hounds, reaching out with her hand, my first instinct was to wonder what the kriff she was doing. This twenty-year-old, and she was just doing that. Bizarrely enough, whatever she did, it worked. 

“You’re crazy, lady,” I said. “Those dogs could have torn you limb from limb.”

”They’re hungry.” And of course, not content with literally using some hypnosis power on some kriffing dogs, Ekari fed them emergency rations. 

“...if it works, can I still call you crazy?” I said. I mean, these dogs were practically wagging their tails now. 

She smiled. “The best people are. I’m Ekari Darica, by the way. And you are?”

”Gabriel Soule. Most call me Gabe. What are you doing in this shithole?”

Ekari raised an eyebrow. “You’re awfully young to be using swear words.”

”I’m just sayin’, Crazy Lady."

”I’m helping people. And animals, of course.” 

She actually petted one of those dogs. I had to say she was crazy — but also pretty awesome. To a seven year old boy, at least. 

***

She didn’t even fight Proxima, though I found the idea of her mind-tricking even a jerk like Proxima a bit creepy. “Hope she’s not gonna get brain damage,” I said when we boarded her ship (it took some reassurance on my part that it wasn’t kidnapping).

”She won’t,” Ekari said. “Mostly I gave her a little push. That’s usually how the mind trick works.”

”...somehow you being a Jedi explains a lot.”

She actually did laugh. “I’ve been...trained,” she said. “Jedi are taught to respect sentient life, at least more than Proxima did.” Then, “You’re a bit twitchy. I can tell she treated you badly.”

”She’s a jerk,” I said. 

“I got the impression, yes." Ekari said. 

She told me about the Jedi. It did sound grand. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized how flawed it really was. 


End file.
